Success in DCS market recognised

Invensys Operations Management has received the 2010 Frost & Sullivan Global Customer Value Enhancement Award for its success in the global distributed control system (DCS) market. The award is presented to the company that has demonstrated excellence in implementing modernisation strategies that proactively create value for its customers, with a focus on improving return on investment.

According to Frost & Sullivan, the global financial crisis has made manufacturers and other industrial end users more cautious about upgrading or migrating existing systems because of the many challenges, including interoperability issues and increased downtime. Well-proven Foxboro® I/A Series® plug-in migration technology from Invensys, however, minimises costs and risks because legacy system upgrades can be accomplished without replacing field wiring, termination assemblies, system enclosures or power supplies. Invensys replaces existing legacy input/output (I/O) modules with new Foxboro I/A Series I/O modules especially designed to plug directly into the existing system. This unique approach is virtually risk-free, providing reversibility if needed, and the system switchover can be accomplished in hours, with minimal—if any—costly downtime.

In selecting Invensys Operations Management for the award, Frost & Sullivan cited three key performance factors of the company’s Foxboro I/A Series migration solution: reduction in lengthy process downtime; improved product value related to cost reduction, time savings and increased convenience; and excellent customer service, including  a free migration audit for existing clients.

“This award recognises Invensys Operations Management’s inordinate focus on enhancing the value that its customers receive—beyond simply good customer service—leading to improved customer retention and ultimately customer base expansion,” said Sivakumar Narayanaswamy, industry analyst, Frost & Sullivan. “While the global economy continues to recover, manufacturers continue to be cautious about upgrading their operating facilities. Therefore, it is important that their systems migrations are justified by improvements in their plant, operations and business performance. With its unique plug-in migration approach, Invensys Operations Management has developed a comprehensive strategy that gives confidence to the end user, allowing them to justify their DCS migration decision, implement the solution and provide a roadmap for achieving control and safety excellence while bypassing traditional challenges.”

“This award is a tribute to the strength of our Foxboro I/A Series offering—the only migration solution available on the market today that offers this non-destructive, low-risk approach,” said Rick Morse, vice president, control and safety solutions, Invensys Operations Management. “Once migrated, we further reduce customer risk by assuming responsibility for support and service, not for only the new I/A Series system installed, but also for any legacy infrastructure remaining as a result of the migration, under a new full system warranty.”

Frost & Sullivan estimates that the demand for DCS migration or upgrades is expected to increase substantially in the coming years because more than $60 billion worth of installed global process automation systems are nearing the end of their lifecycle. Invensys’ unique and proven plug-in migration solution has helped more than 1,000 customers worldwide modernise their operations. The company provides plug-in solutions for legacy Honeywell® TDC2000 and TDC3000, Bailey® NET 90 and INFI 90, Fisher PROVOX S10 and S20, Westinghouse® WDPF, Siemens Moore APACS®, Taylor™ MOD 300 and Foxboro SPECTRUM™ and SPEC 200™ users.

Details of all Frost & Sullivan Awards.